In the development of the electric dry shaver, it has been found that a shaving head which is attached to give a close comfortable shave is, in general, not suitable for trimming long hairs. If a long hair trimmer is made with a comb thin enough to permit cutting very close to the level of the skin, there is usually a considerable amount of skin irritation as a consequence of skin entering the slots of the trimmer and being cut along with the hair. Accordingly, most satisfactory shaving heads include apertures or slots which are well guarded to prevent the entry of skin into the cutting area and consequently are not effective or useful in cutting long hair. A long piece of hair is not easily directed into one of these guarded apertures or slots as the normal beard stubble may be. This limitation in the shaving head insofar as clipping long hair is concerned has resulted in most electric shavers on the market today including some type of auxiliary trimmer or clipper which is adapted to cut long hair. This adaptation is accomplished by having relatively wide open slots which resemble in general the slots found in the blade sets of a conventional barber hair clipper. An example of an electric shaver having such a long hair trimmer is disclosed in Jackson et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,030 which is assigned to the same assignee as the instant application.
The trimmers of the type shown in the above-cited Jackson et al patent are quite effective in trimming sideburns and outlining the hairline around the ears and the like. In addition, such trimmers are useful in picking up long hairs on the neck or elsewhere which have been missed several times in shaving with the conventional shaving head until they have gotten long enough so that they do not readily enter the guarded apertures found in the shaving head. It would be desirable, however, to increase the versatility of the clipper or trimmer found in the normal shaver. The trends in hair styles today result in less frequent haircuts and a need for the individual to trim his hair personally if it is to retain a neat appearance. Thus, with the longer hair styles, a man no longer feels the need to have his hair cut short in a croped, well-shingled manner but may still wish to trim certain portions of the hair which become undesirably long. In addition, it is becoming more common for men to grow beards and mustaches, both of which require various types of trimming or clipping depending on the style. The conventional shaver trimmer has been relatively unsuccessful in coping with these more comprehensive hair clipping tasks requiring many men to feel that they must purchase or use a small hair clipper in addition to their shaver to perform their daily hair grooming tasks. Naturally, it would be more convenient and economic to be able to perform the grooming tasks entirely with the shaver.
One of the major difficulties in using a simple clipper or trimmer to groom oneself is the problem of cutting too deeply when one wishes to do a very slight trimming job. This difficulty is magnifed by the inexperience of one who does not cut or trim hair for a living and the awkwardness of trying to observe and manipulate a clipper with respect to one's own head of hair. Generally, the task is performed in front of a mirror where, of course, the reflection reverses the direction of movement and makes it difficult to coordinate movement of the clipper with the intended objective. For this reason, it is commen in the area of amateur barbering to provide guide means or guards to prevent one from inadvertently cutting the hair too short when only a slight trim is desired. Examples of these guards are found in the patents to Rangus U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,468; Van Osdel U.S. Pat. No. 1,807,811; Buller U.S. Pat. No. 2,034,131; Monyhan U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,168; Suozzi U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,200; Mazzoni U.S. Pat. No. 2,941,293 and Coggins et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,768,438. There is also a considerable amount of prior art relating to trimming guides or guards to be associated with electric shavers. Examples of these patents are Waggoner U.S. Pat. No. 3,008,233; Haislip U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,266 and Caesar U.S. Pat. No. 3,107,423. Although a number of the prior art clipper patents cited above disclose adjustable guides associated with the clippers, perhaps the most pertinent with respect to the instant invention are Mazzoni U.S. Pat. No. 2,941,293 and Suozzi U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,200. It would be desirable, however, to provide a more convenient mounting for the guard and to provide within the housing or casing of the shaver a mechanism for adjusting and for maintaining the position of the guard.